Borrowed Relics - Issue 1: Get Into the Game
by alphathreenine
Summary: The Winchesters and Castiel run into a strange man and learn that he's checked himself into a nearby hospital. They believe he has something to do with the recent murders and decide to investigate.
1. The Encounter - Chapter 1

Genre: SuperWho (Doctor, Sam, Dean, Castiel, OC)  
Slash: None (yet)  
Part: 1 out of I don't know - at least over 5… maybe close to 20…

The Winchesters knew Cas was the best choice to go in undercover. He hadn't been hunting with them long, but it was a hospital the boys had been admitted to before and they didn't want to risk being recognized.

"Okay, Cas," Dean wanted to make sure he understood the plan, "Remember to call us as soon as you find him. If he's in there at all."

"Of course, Dean." Cas was contemplating how humans react to being sick. He was just admitting himself for chest pains, something they were sure he'd at least be kept overnight for. However, since he'd never experience the particulars of that condition, he settled on the assumption that it was similar to how it feels when an angel is warded away.

"We don't know if this guy is dangerous or not," Sam reminded him, "So don't do anything without us. Just scouting it out."

"I understand," Castiel nodded and placed a hand on one should of each brother, shaking them gently to reassure them, "Don't worry about a thing." There was a grin on his face, Dean recognized it as the same smile Cas had when he first told them that he wanted to be a hunter. He still wasn't sure how to react to it at this point.

Dean cleared his throat as Cas started walking towards the hospital. The three of them had a lead that the Brit was inside, but they didn't know why.

Yesterday they had seen him waving a small, glowing object (that was making quite a noise) while running down the street towards some lady. They had followed him, staying hidden around a corner on the sidewalk as the man followed her through an alley and behind a building. As the man turned round the corner to walk back down the alley, he was covered in a green ooze and the woman was calmly walking beside him.

The two brothers quickly attempted to act casually, staring into a window of a shop alongside the street. Castiel hadn't picked up on the plan immediately and Sam had to quickly pull him over to play pretend as well.

When the man reached the sidewalk, Castiel turned to him, "What is that you're covered in?" he was blunt and forceful with his words.

"Oh, this?" The man gestured to himself and glanced at the woman, "This is a… snot. Yeah, see, my… um… sister here has a very nasty cold and she didn't want to sneeze in public so she ran down the alleyway behind the building. I was trying to catch up to her and startled her when I turned the corner."

The brothers looked at each other, still standing in front of the window pretending to not listen. Castiel tilted his head, "That is an awful lot of mucus…"

"Yes, well, that is why I am heading… a, home. House, well, a flat really," he lifted his chin up and stared off the side, not looking at anything particularly, "I mean I guess I'd typically be renting the place if I had a landlord , but it's pretty big too…" he trailed off into his own thoughts, but soon realized Castiel was still staring at him, "So! I will be heading off, sorry to worry you, come along, sister!" He grabbed the woman's hand and walked past Castiel and the brothers. After walking halfway down the block, the two of them started running.

So now here they were, at the hospital. Someone at a local restaurant talked about a strange Brit being admitted (the boys had said their cousin was in town from England and was lost). They could only hope it was the same one. They knew he wasn't telling them the whole story, and with there being five recent murders and a mission person in the past two days, they knew he had something to do with it. But why had he also checked himself into the hospital?

Castiel disappeared through the hospital doors. Now all Sam and Dean could do was wait for him to call. They decided to get breakfast.

—-

Cas was standing in the emergency room lobby.

"Can I help you?" A lady ask him. She was wearing teal scrubs behind a counter surrounded by glass walls. Lots of folders and files were on shelves behind her and the area was large enough to have several other men and women looking at them, answering phones, and doing normal human activities.

"Sir?" She asked again.

Castiel realized that he hadn't started playing sick yet. He grabbed his chest with his left hand and leaned into the counter with his right, "Oh, yes," he scrunched his face and spoke through his teeth as he hunched over, "I'm experiencing excessive pain in my chest area. It's… crushing." He recalled how he felt when warded away and started breathing heavily as if his lungs were tightening up.

"Oh, oh goodness, okay. Is anyone with you?"

He took a second to answer, "No, no one is with me. I'm - I'm travelling on business."

"Ok, sir, let's get you into an exam room."

Castiel was taken through several procedures until he was finally put in a bed and hooked up to a heart rate monitor. All of the tests came back normal, but Cas insisted that he stay overnight. He continued every-so-often to pretend like a pain shot through his chest. As luck would have it, the British man was in a room adjacent to his and Cas could see him from where he was in bed. He had also passed it on the way to his own room and heard the man introducing himself to one of the nurses.

"Excuse me, nurse!" Cas called to man in the hallway, "Sorry, I'd like to use the phone, how - how do I…"

"Here," the young man pulled a phone closer to the bedside, "Dial 9 and then the number you want to call. Press this button if you need anything."

Cas had admitted himself early that morning, it was about four in the afternoon now. He called Dean's cellphone number.

"Dean. He's here. He's calling himself John Smith. I suggest you get here as soon as possible."

"Yeah, okay. We're on our way."

They hung up and in about an hour the two boys were sitting next to Cas's bed, trying to avoid being seen by the other man.

"Have you seen him do anything?" Sam asked, using a lot of willpower in order to not turn around and look for himself.

"No, he's just been in his bed."

"No phone calls or visitors?" Dean added.

"No, he -"

"What about any mumbling or weird eating habits?"

"Boys!" Cas raised his voice slightly and sat himself up. He looked down and then out the window, "I told you all I know. If there had been anything else I would have -"

"Sorry to interrupt," the Brit stood in the doorway, "You lot look like the ones from the other day! Fancy meeting you here!" He beamed a wide grin at them.

Dean stood up defensively, "Did you get sick from being covered in mucus?" He asked cynically, "Or maybe you'd like to tell us who you really are."

The man's chin dropped and he looked at the others from beneath his brow, "I'm a friend, if that's what you mean."

Castiel disconnected himself from the machines and stood up from the bed, walked over to him, and placed his hand on the Brit's forehead. The man flinched slightly, like Cas had shocked him. The angel pulled away.

"He's neither demon nor angel." Cas said as he let down his hand and turned to Sam and Dean, then back to the man in the doorway, "but you certainly aren't human."

"Angel, then, you?" the man tilted his head toward Castiel. Cas simply nodded. The new guy looked at Sam and Dean and said, "I think it's best we talk privately," almost in a whisper. He then started walking down the hallway.


	2. The Time Lord and the Hunters -Chapter 2

Genre: SuperWho (Doctor, Sam, Dean, Castiel, OC)  
Slash: None (yet)  
Part: 2 out of I don't know - at least over 5… maybe close to 20

The three men followed him down a few corridors and out an emergency exit.

"So," Dean started the conversation, "You gonna tell us your name, BBC America?"

"I'm The Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. And you are?"

"Time Lord…" Castiel looked around blankly as he tried to recall where he hear that name before, "I know of you. Some of my brothers and sisters have watched you on occasion."

"Yes, I've met a few of them. Not really the sparkling personalities one might expect from the heavenly host."

"Our choir has been out of rehearsals for centuries." Cas responded bluntly.

"Uh huh," The Doctor was slightly confused by the angel, "And what about your names, then? And what are you doing following me?"

"What we'd like to know is what you were doing chasing that girl down, running away, and falsely admitting yourself into a hospital." Dean was getting impatient.

"Know who you are speaking to, Dean. This is a Time Lord, an alien to Earth. He can travel throughout time and space. I can promise you that this man has proven himself to have humanity's best interest in his hearts." Castiel assured him.

"Aliens? I'm not buying it." He said gruffly, not looking away from The Doctor.

"Dean, if Cas says we can trust him, then we should," Sam glanced at Castiel for some sort of confirmation, to which Cas nodded, and then turned to The Doctor, "I'm Sam Winchester, this is my brother Dean. And that's Castiel."

The Doctor's face lite up, "Aw, the Angel of Thursdays! I never could get the hang of Thursdays. And you two… I've heard of you. The Winchesters, eh?" He was less happy when he looked at the brothers.

"Yes, that's us. There a problem with that?" Dean took a step towards The Doctor.

"No. Not yet," He turned to continue walking away from the hospital, "But it does explain why our encounter peaked your curiosity. No doubt you're in town because of the disappearances."

"Yeah," Sam stepped up to walk next to The Doctor, "What do you know about them?"

The Doctor glanced at Sam. He could see that the other tall fellow was genuinely curious. His knowledge of the Winchester brothers was slim. The Doctor had never come across an actual supernatural event, but was well aware that they exist and were handled by the Hunters of this world.

"Not much," The Doctor began explaining, "I was reading traces of alien technology in the area. What you saw the other day was my friend and I chasing an anomaly - a sort of mist. You couldn't see it since you've never been in the TARDIS - my time machine, that is. When we caught it behind the building, it exploded into that green goo. I don't know if it actually had anything to do with what's going on, however."

"So why check in at the hospital?" Castiel asked, his eyes squinted, trying to understand the situation.

"I suspect that whatever this is - it is disguising itself as hospital staff. These murders - all of the victims had recently attended that hospital for various reasons. The missing person was an employee. An intern. I'm surprised you didn't find that out."

"Well," Dean explained, "We had only gotten into town when we ran into you. Can't say we had much time for research. Baby doesn't come with a wifi connection."

"Would be nice, though," Sam muttered to himself.

"Also," The Doctor continued, "All of the deceased victims were found in front of their televisions - bodies torn limb from limb and ripped apart as if they had been devoured."

"We should get in contact with the local police department," Sam suggested, "Perhaps we could get in and see for ourselves. There could be clues-…" he was cut off.

"Sorry, Sam, but I think we might get more answers from the missing intern. If you'll all come with me, which you seem to be following me anyways, I'm going to have a word with his parents."

Dean gave Sam a, "can you believe this guy?" look. Sam shrugged and continued to follow The Doctor.

The Doctor turned a corner, the three men followed. It was an area of a park near the hospital where a garden was in full bloom. A wrought-iron fence lined a wall around shrubberies and flowers of various colours. A blue police box sat against the fence. It seemed an odd place for a phone booth to Sam and Dean.

"Amazing," Castiel whispered to himself.

"What is? It's just some fancy telephone booth." Dean was not impressed.

"This," Cas turned to Dean, "Is The Doctor's TARDIS, Dean. It's a time machine. I've heard stories, but have never had the opportunity to witness it. My Father was very particular in the details when it came to time travel and who had access to it."

"Well there aren't many of us left," The Doctor was solemn as he opened the TARDIS to let the others in.

Castiel tilted his head and looked confused at The Doctor's remark. He knew Gallifrey had been lost, but didn't know the Time Lords assumed they were the only ones with the ability to control time. This was a situation that was handled by different garrisons and beings higher up on the heavenly hierarchy. Cas decided to leave the conversation where it was, he wasn't about to overstep his boundaries in such a sensitive situation. He just didn't have enough knowledge surrounding the handlings of beings other than humans.

The four men walked into the TARDIS, The Doctor was followed by Dean, then Sam, and Castiel entered last (he was taking some time to admire the machine). Halfway up the ramp, Dean and Sam stopped, wide-eyed. Once they had scanned their surroundings, their eyes met and they both smiled.

"This is pretty cool," Sam grinned.

"Can't say I'm not impressed," Dean smiled at Sam, "But it's still not as impressive as Baby." He shrugged and turned to The Doctor whom was throwing his coat over a chair, "What are you, some sort of foreign secret service or something?"

"This is a TARDIS, like I said," Castiel stood between the boys after closing the door, "It stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space." He turned to look directly at Dean, "This is Time Lord technology, not developed by humans, I assure you."

"You do seem to know an awful lot, Castiel," The Doctor had already started pressing buttons and was currently pushing a lever with his right foot, pressing a large square button with his left elbow, and pressing a combination of buttons with his hands.

"There was a short time that my garrison had access to information regarding you and your dealings with Earth, I cannot say I know too much - just enough to know if I needed to contact someone in the other garrison whom had you in their charge." It was at this point Cas decided that he needed to stop bringing anything up regarding his knowledge of the Time Lord. It didn't seem as though The Doctor appreciated it and Cas was certainly not enjoying reliving recent memories of his garrison.

Sam stood next to Castiel and could sense the angel was slightly uncomfortable with the conversation, "So a…" he tried to change the subject, "Where is that girl from yesterday?" He crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one leg.

Dean looked at Sam while he was asking the question, then tilted his head down and to the side as he turned to The Doctor, "Yeah, you said she was your sister?" He lifted his eyebrows and squinted his eyes like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

"Weeeelll…" The Doctor had finished whatever yoga position he was in and was now fiddling with some other nobs and buttons, "She's just a friend. A traveller with me. Her name is Reeta. She's around here somewhere, probably in the library swimming."

Sam raised his eyebrows, "Swimming in the library?"

"Oh yeah, she was waiting till I was done at the hospital. This is the safest place. Not that she can't handle herself, mind you," he laughed. The TARDIS began making whoop-whoop noises as he pulled a lever.


	3. The New Girl - Chapter 3

Genre: SuperWho (Doctor, Sam, Dean, Castiel, OC)  
Slash: None (yet)  
Part: 3 out of I don't know - at least over 5… maybe close to 20…

"Where are we going?" Castiel stepped towards The Doctor. The TARDIS started to shake.

"Going… wait, what? We're moving… like, flying?" Dean suddenly felt very ill. He braced himself against the railing.

"We're re-positioning I got some intel while in the hospital that the missing intern had some family a couple towns over." He looked at Dean, "and it's not really flying," his eyes squinted, "It's more like… disappearing completely, going through a vortex, and appearing at a different location."

"Oh, yeah, a vortex sounds much safer!" He responded sarcastically, "I'm a… I'm going to lay down somewhere…" he held his stomach like he was going to be sick and started walking towards the hallway.

"The bathroom is down the hall, take the first right, then the next right, then go straight until you see the door on the left with the circular designs." The Doctor nonchalantly motioned with his right hand as his eyes focused on the monitor, "Though we're going to be there… now."

Dean still disappeared down the hall, doing his best to remember the directions.

"Hey, a…" Sam walked towards The Doctor and was now standing next to Castiel, "Where is this library?"

"I can show you, Sam." A woman appeared from the hallway, the same one from the other day. She turned to The Doctor and smiled, "I was wondering how long it would take for you to pick them up."

She was slightly shorter than Castiel, dark red hair that was a few inches longer than her shoulders. It was pulled pack save for some short ends around her face. She wore square green-framed glasses, a dark purple sleeveless tunic (which had a loose turtleneck), dark denim jeans, and sneakers. She held a tan coat over her right arm that seemed to look a lot like Cas's.

"Excuse me, heh" Sam smiled, letting out a confused laugh, "Have we met?"

"You know them, then, Reeta?" The Doctor asked her, confused.

"Well, yes, sort of," she smiled, "In another story. I've had a…" she looked away, sort of sad, "well, I still do have a lot of experience with these boys."

Castiel walked towards her with power in his steps. He didn't look happy, but not angry. Just confused and perhaps suspicious. Reeta stood in place, simply letting him place two fingers on her forehead.

"You won't be able to tell a difference, Cas, but you're right." She smiled at him, "I am a Storykeeper. It's good to know you have the lore in this story as well. I won't have to explain as much again."

"Wait, what's going on? I think I need a bit of explaining to." Sam was out of the loop now, and if he was going to be travelling with this chick then he needed to know who she was.

"She's a Storykeeper, Sam," Castiel started off, he was more suspicious now, "It would be best for the explanations to occur when Dean gets back." He went back to staring at Reeta, examining her and trying to recall what he knows of her kind.

"In the meantime, what did you learn at the hospital, Doctor?" Reeta turned to him.

He looked from her to Castiel, then to Sam, then back to her. Reeta could tell he was questioning her relationship with the men, "That the intern was missing a lot of work days before he disappeared and that his closest family lives in this town - a few towns away from before. Figured we'd scout it out." He cleared his throat and leaned to whisper to her, "We need to talk." Now he was aggravated.

"Yeah, okay." She nodded.

Dean emerged from the hallway, colour had come back to his face. The Doctor and Reeta passed by him. Reeta made a shooting gesture at him with her fingers, smiled, winked, and made a clicking noise with her tongue. Dean looked around, very confused.

—-

"Um, so did we figure out who she is?" Dean asked as he stepped next to Castiel and Sam, "I get she's the chick from the other day and whatnot, but really, that's it? Just a friend, then? I mean, we don't have to gank her or anything, do we?"

"I don't know, do we, Cas?" Sam crossed his arms and turned towards the angel.

"Again, these are things I know very little about, I -"

Dean held out his hand in a motion for Cas to stop, "Just tell us what you do know. Please."

Castiel cleared his throat and looked at the two brothers, then looked around at nothing particular as he recalled the lore, "Storykeepers are not unheard of in what they would call our 'story'. You're familiar with the idea that there are an infinite number of worlds or dimensions?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "That's like string theory or something, right?" Dean remained silent, eyebrows raised and eyes squinted - how he normally looked while listening to something he didn't really believe and would certainly have questions on after the explanation had finished.

"Yes, there is a group that stands just outside of those dimensions and is charged with watching over them all. They consist of fortune-tellers, researchers, and what you might think of as "historians". They are capable of knowing how a world should progress and then do their best to make sure it happens, reaching the ultimate end that is destined for that world. Their purpose being the completion of every dimension's story for the benefit of humanity as a whole in that world."

"So Reeta's one of these 'historians'?" Sam asked with air quotations.

"She is one of their agents. The historians would have seen that this world needs assistance in some way to make sure it progresses in the direction it's suppose to, so they sent her. It seems she is currently here to help The Doctor in this story, but that she has had frequent, and apparently ongoing, interactions with us in another world."

"All right then, so we should be glad she's here to help."

'I'm less than thrilled for her presence."

"Ok, so these…" Dean was searching for the word, "Sexy librarians, they tell someone like her, 'hey, this world isn't moving along the way it should, go be friends with these people and makes sure they do this, this, and that?'"

"There are certain fixed points," Reeta chimed in as her and The Doctor walked back in. She was smiling, but he still looked upset, "that cannot be compromised. However, as soon as I become a part of a story, how we get there is completely unknown. Sometimes we know what would happen if I didn't interfere, but not always."

"Wouldn't that, like, create new dimensions all together?" Sam asked, "Like one where we are helped and one where we are not?"

"That's the whole point of us. We don't create dimensions, we simply help them. Sometimes we don't even need to step foot into the world - there are instances where a simple text message or status update on a social media site can change the entire course of a person's life."

"So why are you here now?" Dean was still trying to wrap his mind around everything. It was a lot to take in all at once for the brothers - the time travel, aliens, other dimensions. Some basic truths would be great at this point.

"I was sent to travel with The Doctor. Originally it was because he needed some extra motivation after a…,"she looked at The Doctor, "personal loss. I've remained here as his companion to help him along, leaving every-so-often to perform other duties. The planet Earth is my Society's primary objective. There is a Society for every alien race, as it is easier for someone originally from that planet to blend in with their own people, naturally."

"And how, exactly, do you help? Because honestly, and don't take this the wrong way," Dean laughed a bit and smirked, "but you don't seem like the fighting type."

"Well, on my own I'm handy with simple weapons. Benefits I get from being connected to the Society include healing, elemental control, telepathy, telekinesis, conjuration, and a small list of other things. However," she put the coat on that she had been carrying and pulled out a pair of black gloves. After a few gestures of her fingers and hands, a semi-transparent screen appeared floating in front of her, "Everything I do takes a lot of effort. See this?" She motioned to turn the screen around and push it towards the three men. The screen displayed a marquee at the bottom with moving text, a column to the left with what looked like a news article, a variety of symbols on the top left, and solid circle on the top right.

"That circle," Reeta continued, "displays my energy level. As you might assume, it decreases with every action," she shrugged, "some actions cost more than others."

Dean smiled, "All riiighhtt… magical girl."

"No, Dean." Sam and Reeta said at the same time. They looked at each other. Reeta smiled and then closed the screen, placing the gloves back in her coat. Which, as Sam suspected, was almost exactly like Castiel's, however it was more fitted to her shape.

Reeta looked at Castiel. He notice her give a slight smile then look away solemnly. He assumed it had something to do with the other dimensions, so it was best not to ask.

For Reeta, it wasn't the same Cas from the other storyline. It was a just another pain of the job. There she had become a part of the Winchester family, adopted as a sister. They trusted her and loved her. Castiel? Well, Reeta and him share what you might call a "more profound bond". Of course there was also another dimension where Castiel and Dean were in a very serious relationship, but her job in that story had been long completed and she only returned every now-and-then to say, 'Hi,' and see how the kids are doing.


	4. Short Interaction - Chapter 4

A few minutes earlier...

The Doctor and Reeta turned down a couple hallways, away from the other men.

"Ok, I know what you're upset with..." Reeta stopped and made the 'slow down' motion with her hand that wasn't carrying the coat. She regretted introducing herself the way she did, if she had pretended that she didn't know who they were... no... that's what got her in trouble in the first place. Still, there had to be a better way to have brought this up with The Doctor. "Stupid," Reeta thought to herself, "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

"All right, then explain to me why you didn't tell me you knew them in the first place!" The Doctor wasn't yelling at her, but there was force behind his words. She'd lied to him before and it nearly got them both killed (along with a few million people). He still hadn't fully regained his trust in her. Normally he would have taken her back home, dropped her off for her to leave him just like all of his other companions, but she was assigned to him. More than that, he still needed her.

"Because I didn't know them! I mean, not those men standing out in the control room anyways! How was I to know if they were going to become a part of this? What would I have said, 'Hey, guys, you don't know me, but by golly I sure know you'?"

"You could have told me." He whispered it, only a few inches away from Reeta's face. The same force was behind the words. He backed away and started walking to the control room. It broke her heart. She knew he still had issues relying on her, so she had to do her best to make him believe what she was saying. She wasn't lying to him, it was just the job. After all the damage she had caused, she would usually leave a dimension, but her assignment was still active. More than that, she still needed him.

"You know I can't just talk about my dealings with other stories like that. Doctor, there are rules! And you and I..." The Doctor stopped walking and turned back around to look at her, she continued, "we're long past the point where I know what's going on, so I have to stand back and let things happen sometimes. Throwing those guys into the mix - let's just say I'm not thrilled with their presence here. But I had to know, Doctor, before I told you! I had to know if they would naturally fall into the story. I wasn't going to risk getting them involved in something bigger. I'm sorry. I swear I wasn't trying to hide anything from you." Tears were welling up in her eyes, she just didn't know if she could get through to him ever again.

"Okay," was all he responded as he nodded his head and continued back to the control room.

Reeta was hoping for more a response, but knew she wasn't going to get one. She composed herself quickly and followed him back to where the men were.


	5. Let's Split Up, Gang - Chapter 5

"So what's the plan?" Sam asked, looking at The Doctor.

"Well, I have the flat number where he lived, that's where we are now, and his parents live a few streets down. I figured we could divide and conquer, as they say."

"Right," Dean nodded, "Sam, Cas, and I will take the apartment and you two can take the -"

"Actually," The Doctor interrupted, "Castiel and I are the only ones presentably dressed, so I think it would be best if him and I went to meet the parents. Reeta can go with you two."

Sam shrugged his shoulders and Dean thought about it a moment. As if he were giving permission, he nodded his head, "Okay then, let's get going."

Reeta didn't say a word as she grabbed a small, brown backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She was smiling, but The Doctor saw the sadness in her eyes.

"What's that for?" Sam asked, motioning towards Reeta's bag.

"Just some tools acquired from experience. Besides, I'm familiar with the situations you two tend to get yourselves into - I know I need to be prepared." She laughed and smiled at Sam as the three of them walked out of the TARDIS.

—-

Castiel stood next to The Doctor as the others left. He wanted to ask The Doctor why he sent Reeta away when she was more than capable of quickly changing and coming along with them, but decided that he had already brought up too many touchy subjects for one day. He stayed silent as The Doctor double-checked a few things in the monitor and moved the TARDIS to the new location.

Cas couldn't deny that he was still pretty awestruck by the entire experience so far - and having lived millions of years, that feeling was unusual. However, since he decided to not go back to Heaven, more and more things had become new to him. All the tiny nuances of humanity - he was able to enjoy them. He never had a need to actually take a shower, nor the opportunity to enjoy a bubble bath. He decided to fly his own kite one day. After so many years of watching the autistic man's heaven, he's surprised he hadn't done it before. He still didn't need to eat, but he did - trying to find the flavors he preferred over others. Often Sam and Dean would describe two different items on a menu and Cas would end up requesting both since he couldn't decide.

Still, he would think of Heaven sometimes. He had learned from the Winchesters that for the most part it is best to wear a smile even though it didn't represent what you were actually feeling. So that's what he did. He wanted to be a part of their family, and in order to do that he wanted to be fine - completely disconnected from anything that would tear him away from them.

The Doctor was making sure they were in the right location, the TARDIS had been known to steer a bit off course before. Luckily all seemed well. Yet, all of this was in the back of his mind compared to his recent conversation with Reeta. He knew she was sorry, he knew she did what she thought was right, and he knew that there was nothing she could do to remedy the damage that had already been caused. The Doctor was working up a way to approach the situation, because they had to fix this. He needed to trust her again, but it was difficult for him to just think up a solution. Well, besides time; however, while he had plenty of time - they didn't know how much longer she would be around. If she had to leave for another assignment or was called away, there was always a chance she wouldn't come back.

He thought of her like his family, as a best friend. After the couple of years they had been travelling together, he was certain she felt the same way. Which was good. He didn't know why, but it was good. Like that's just what he needed. He supposed that was her whole mission - to be whatever he needed her to be in order keep him going after everyone else had left him. She was probably just very good at her job.

"We should get going, Doctor." Castiel spoke up a few moments after the TARDIS landed.

"Yes, yes of course, sorry!" The Doctor grabbed his overcoat and headed out the door, the angel following silently behind him.

—-

Sam and Dean watched the TARDIS as it dematerialized in front of them. Reeta was looking at the address of the apartment building The Doctor had scribbled onto a post-it note, making sure it was the one they were standing in front of.

"Well, that's new." Dean smirked at Sam.

"You'd think," Sam replied, "that someone would have told us about all this."

"Not really," Reeta started walking towards the apartment building, "I mean, think about it - you two were hella busy with the yellow-eyed demon, the apocalypse, leviathan, everything else that goes 'bump' in the night. Even if someone did know about it, like Cas sort of does, why would they waste your time with information that proved absolutely no relevance?"

This realization annoyed Dean, "You could have helped. Can't say we won all those wars without casualties." Sam looked down as the memories crossed his mind - all the people they had met and lost.

"It doesn't work like that, Dean. I wasn't here to help you."

Dean grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, standing only a few inches away from her, he spoke through clenched teeth, "Screw what you're 'here for' lady - people died, and if you could have helped them by getting involved… their deaths are on you."

Reeta paused for a moment with a relaxed, maybe concerned, expression. If she knew one thing about Dean Winchester, it was his inability to let others feel any responsibility for something he felt like he should have taken care of himself, "If it helps you to stop blaming yourself, then fine." They stared at each other for a moment before Sam pulled Dean away from Reeta.

The redhead turned around and went through the entrance. The building itself was eight stories high, brick, and painted a bright pale yellow with white trimming. The double-door entrance was glass and had a sign with any available apartments and office hours listed. Inside was carpeted and the walls were covered in a yellow to match the outside of the building. A large desk was to their right, a lobby area to the left, and several doors that led to the gym, a pool, and the clubhouse. The elevators sat straight ahead on the other side of the room.

"Nice place," Sam muttered, looking around.

"Seems a bit ritzy for just a medical intern." Dean suggested as they walked towards the elevators.

Reeta pressed the button to go up, "Maybe his parents are helping him out?"

Dean glanced at her, but Sam purposefully stood between them. He knew his brother wasn't just going to drop the discussion with Reeta, but now wasn't the time to bring it up. The three of them got on the elevator, Sam pressed the button for the fourth floor to go to apartment C9.


End file.
